Is Marks & Spencer naked chicken katsu curry ultra-processed?

Meals with chicken Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E440 Pectins

36 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

Less processed meals with chicken

Classic Butter Chicken The Spice Tailor 12 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Chicken Tikka Masala & Pilau Rice Charlie Bigham's 52 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
Japanese Style Chicken Curry with rice Myprotein 23 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Chicken Caesar Salad with Caesar dressing, croutons and Parmigiano Reggiano Sainsbury's 37 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Brown Rice 26% (Water, Brown Rice), Chicken Breast 18%, Water Carrots 12%, Pak Choi 6%, Coconut Milk (Water Coconut Extract), Onions, S Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Bones), Red Miso Paste (Water, Soybeans, Rice Salt), Honey (processing marker), Cornflour Tomato Paste, Soy Sauce (processing marker) (Water, Soybeans Salt, Vinegar), Rice Vinegar, Lemon Juice Stabiliser (Pectin (ultra-processing marker), Garlic Purée, Spices, Coriander Seeds, Turmeric Fenugreek Seeds Cumin Seeds), Black Pepper, Chilli Powder Caraway Seeds) Rapeseed Oil, Salt Five Spice (Star Anise Cinnamon, T Fennel Seeds Ground Black Pepper Cloves), Dried Garlic, Dried Ginger Dried Onions

Additives: E440 Pectins

As written on the pack

Cooked Brown Rice (26%) (Water. Brown Rice) · Cooked Chicken Breast (18%). Water Carrots (12%). Pak Choi (6%). Coconut Milk (Water Coconut Extract) Onions. S Chicken Stock (Water. Chicken Bones) Red Miso Paste (Water · Soybeans. Rice Salt) Honey. • . Cornflour Tomato Paste - Soy Sauce (Water. Soybeans Salt. Vinegar). Rice Vinegar - Lemon Juice Stabiliser: Pectin . Garlic Purée · Ground Spices (Coriander Seeds. Turmeric Fenugreek Seeds Cumin Seeds - Ground Black Pepper. Chilli Powder Caraway Seeds) Rapeseed Oil. Salt Five Spice (Star Anise Cinnamon. T Fennel Seeds Ground Black Pepper Cloves) Dried Garlic - Dried Ginger Dried Onions.

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.

3 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 213 meals with chicken

From least to most processed, this one ranks 67th. 79% of the meals with chicken here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 213 meals with chicken, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00324625, last edited 21 March 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.